The automotive airbag is now fully accepted as a life saving element in automotive vehicles. Engineers and designers are striving to provide smaller and smaller module assemblies, particularly passenger side modules. Driver's side modules are already constrained by their position within the steering wheel and the need for protecting only one person.
Passenger side modules are typically rectangular in order to house a larger bag capable of protecting either two passengers or one passenger out of an ideal position. Inflators have developed at a faster pace than have reaction canisters and airbags. As a result, the inflators are normally substantially shorter than the reaction canisters. This has resulted in a number of problems in assembling the components and, to date, there have been no truly satisfactory solutions. Those that have been employed usually result in awkward assembly and increased weight and expense. They include, for example, inflator extensions or cups for centering the inflator. Other solutions involve cutting holes in the canister to receive the inflator. This involves a secondary operation and often requires the plugging of holes and the addition of parts for retaining the inflator.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an airbag module assembly wherein a relatively short inflator chamber may be easily secured to a longer reaction canister by a simple sliding fit. Other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.